Question of the Day #176

"In the dead of night, Republicans vote to give lawsuit immunity to banks"
From the headline of this article at Think Progress.

上記の文で、dead of night の意味は？
In the sentence above, what does "dead of night" mean?

答えは、コメントに書いてください。
Write your answer in the Comments.

明日、ここに答えを書きます。
I will add the answer and other remarks here tomorrow.

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解答

意味： 英辞郎によると、

《the ～》真夜中

Answer

According to Oxford Dictionaries:

The quietest, darkest part of the night.

Etymology/語源

Online Etymology Dictionaryによると、

in the dead of the nightというフレーズが初めて記録されたのは、1540年代。

According to Online Etymology Dictionary:

Phrase in the dead of the night first recorded 1540s.

Examples

• ‘I woke up at the dead of night’
• ‘It seems that someone is secretly dropping money all over the city in the dead of night, for no apparent purpose.’
• ‘However, you never know what strange ideas will suddenly grip me in the dead of night, when I'm alone with my computer.’
• ‘She and her brother received regular telephone calls in the dead of night from her father, helpless with pain.’
• ‘He stole into the abbey in the dead of night, intent on stealing a personal memento of Scotland's greatest king.’